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Military operation in Ukraine

Ukraine’s nuclear facilities, Zaporozhye NPP lost external power on Nov 23 — IAEA chief

"They were all forced to rely on emergency diesel generators for the electricity they need to ensure their continued safety and security, Rafael Grossi said

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi AP Photo/Theresa Wey

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi

© AP Photo/Theresa Wey

VIENNA, November 25. /TASS/. Ukraine’s Rovno, Khmelnitsky and South Ukraine nuclear power plants and the Zaporozhye NPP lost external power for the first time ever on Wednesday, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi said in a video statement on Thursday.

"While the world has been focused on the dangerous situation at Zaporozhye, Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, we must not forget the country’s other nuclear facilities," Grossi said. He stressed that on Wednesday, for the first time ever, the three Kiev-controlled nuclear power plants, as well as the Zaporozhye site, "lost external power and were disconnected from the grid."

"They were all forced to rely on emergency diesel generators for the electricity they need to ensure their continued safety and security," the IAEA chief added.

Grossi emphasized that "this unprecedented situation would have been unimaginable just months ago" and "it is deeply worrying."

He also noted that the IAEA was "making progress in establishing a nuclear safety and security protection zone" around the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant.

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